“We would take that now” – Kieran McKenna issues stance on potential development in Burnley v Ipswich Town | OneFootball

Ipswich Town travel to Burnley this evening in an FA Cup fourth round replay, after the two sides played out a goalless draw at Portman Road on January 28th.

It is not a great time for this fixture to arrive for the Tractor Boys, with League One leaders Sheffield Wednesday arriving in Suffolk this weekend in aiming to extend their six-point cushion on Kieran McKenna’s side.

According to some of the underlying numbers, Ipswich have been one of the best third tier sides of the last decade this season, but the raw results has landed them in third place with 17 matches remaining.

Therefore, the FA Cup may represent an opportunity to reap some rewards for their progress on the pitch, but the in-form Clarets will take some beating.

The tie will go to extra time and penalties if necessary and McKenna offered an interesting response when asked how he would feel about that in his pre-match press conference, quotes are provided by Twtd.co.uk.

He said: “We’ll be ready for penalties if they come, we’ve practiced them quite a lot through the course of the season anyway for moments like tonight if they possibly come.

“We’ll be happy if it gets that far, to be honest.

“We’ve got good takers and a couple of good goalkeepers on the trip, so if it gets to that point we would take that now.”

Town are fortunate to have such a deep squad, and that is clear in McKenna’s willingness to play 120 minutes against the Clarets if necessary, where they are unlikely to have loads of the ball, ahead of taking on Wednesday at the weekend.

The Verdict

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Support for McKenna and the squad will be unwavering at Ipswich at the moment, but that is not to say that some will not be concerned by the drop-off in results that could mean the Tractor Boys are to rely on the play-offs to win promotion.

Ipswich are still favoured above Plymouth Argyle to win promotion by bookmakers, but the form of Paul Warne’s Derby County in the last few months will have even Darren Moore’s Owls looking over their shoulders.

Christian Walton can be an intimidating goalkeeper from 12 yards if it goes that far, but McKenna would much prefer to get the job done in 90 minutes to allow players to transition their focus onto the top of the table clash.